I don't know what you want, but we bought Rusty while still in the womb. Brought him home at around a year and taught him to ride, smile, paint pictures, stand pretty while draped with bloody mule deer, and get along with cats. Never did take him hunting out west, but I don't think that would...
Buy from a specific cross that has a proven record of producing what you want. Breed is less important. Also, get a handshake agreement that if you keep him posted throughout the training process, that he will take a cull back. Bird dog breeders are especially bad about shoveling horse apples so...
@Wild Bill per your request...
Charli got a lot of exposure last fall. She hunted both with Finn, and solo. She quickly demonstrated a very, very fine nose. She would point coveys Finn had missed. Her caution and manners behind game were impeccable, even for a pup.
After hunting...
I wouldn't say you'd need to be the best in the world, but I'd say I'm a pretty decent trainer. Also spent some time training a mink. Completely different than training for all of these things, but the way I see it is, I want a pointer for cottontails because I'd much rather point and hold one...
Join NAHVDA for dog training. They’ll have sessions to meet and train. They’ll help you.
You’ll be surprised how natural bird hunting is to well bred dogs. A little reinforcement of a good trait goes a long ways in training.
Would only targeting commercial training operations be a better option then?
Or would the increased burden of proof make something like that unenforceable?
I've called you on this more than once. Just because it is your experience, does not mean it's everyone's.
If a pointing dog is honest on its birds, the range it hunts is not that important. One person might want them inside a couple hundred yards, and I might want them well outside of that...
Yea, that's cause they immediately amended the original for the state wide delay. They are starting to get in the habit of offering amendments "during" the meetings. It's pretty obvious they have them prepped before but don't bring them up to avoid public comment.
Slob hunters abound here in Montana. And guess what ... they are mostly LOCALS. You know they're locals by the county number prefix on their plates. Caught a local yesterday leaving a gate down on block management property and driving in past the orange sign that says no vehicle access. Fat...
I own both parents. The sire is pure Airedale, the mother is the Shag. We had two litters, six pups on the first go, eight on the second. I regret to say I had the female spayed after the second batch. Right now I'm looking for a female to breed with Grizz. I have several fellow government...
Seven month old GSP male "Maverick"
E-collar conditioned, introduced to gun fire and birds. Holds point well and will range close or far depending on how he instructed.
Originally wanted to train him as a versatile gundog, but have realized a lab suits my needs much better.
He does well for an...
Other than hunting about the only shooting I do with a shotgun is training birds for my dogs. Cats wiped me out of training birds a couple years ago and working on getting them back. Had a guy I trained a dog for was supposed to be one of the top skeet and trap shooter's in the state years ago...
One of my best buddies got one a little over a year ago. It is really an awesome dog. Super birdie. I was lucky enough to shoot her first pheasant over her. Unfortunately, I only winged it and she had to chase it down for a retrieve. She’s was only 8 months old at the time. I was very impressed...
One of the basic concepts in casting is that the retriever should expect to
change direction with each cast after the whistle stop.
(Most cast-refusals are where the dog refuses to change direction)
I like this little drill to teach and maintain that concept.
Each cast is a successful cast...
What worked:
The new ACL. Wasn’t sure if having this done in my 40’s was going to mean I would just have to deal with something less than 100%, or if it would be more painful than before after hard hunting. One year later, that hasn’t been the case and it’s felt as good as ever.
Relining the...